Drums in the Deep

First off, this isn’t so much a prediction as a premonition. In The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf, reading from the Book of Mazarbul while in Moria, quotes the following ominous passage:

“They have taken the Bridge and the Second Hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes… Drums. Drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A Shadow moves in the dark… We cannot get out… They are coming.”

While we’re waiting for our new home to be built, we’re staying with my sister-in-law. She and her husband are hot-tub fans who like to sit outside on autumn evenings  and sky-watch, and we sometimes join them. One of the most interesting things going on during October of this year is the bright presence of Mars in the southwestern sky after sunset; it is noticeably redder than I remember it being in the past. Mars was the God of War in ancient mythology and its appearance was thought to presage dire events in the world of men.

The “war” that’s currently brewing in the United States is the Congressional mid-term election, with each side predicting a victorious “wave” of votes for their respective color: red for the Republicans and blue for the Democrats. With Mars so visibly prominent in the evening sky at this time, the conflict has reached a shrill pitch (complete with threats and even acts of violence) seldom seen in modern times, and the dramatic display has me thinking that red may be in the ascendancy. While the astrology of the situation is much more complex than the testimony of a single planet, I’m not one to ignore signs. I will be performing a mundane chart for the day of the election to see if Mars plays a prominent part. Stay tuned.